The Onsen Encounter
by Bottou-chan
Summary: While on a class trip, the Hokage have an unexpected encounter with people from their past; Fuuko must seek closure with Raiha. Set post-Tendoujigoku.
1. 1

**The Onsen Encounter**

**Ch. 1**

**by Bottou-chan**

* * *

Author's Note: Possible manga spoilers, as it is set after the Tendoujigoku arc's conclusion.

* * *

The Spring Festival was a success; with their food booth dishing out exotic American strawberry shortcake, the junior class had earned enough money to make their spring _shugaku-ryoko _a memorable one. 

Fuuko had somehow managed to obtain a brochure from the teachers' lounge. "Because we sold so much, they've lengthened our class trip by two days, and added in a stay at a hot spring!" she said exultantly over lunch, waving the stolen brochure. "I overheard them saying so, and they'll make the official announcement on Friday." 

Recca plucked the stolen pamphlet from her hands. "That'll be a nice change," he said enthusiastically, scanning the glossy color photos with interest. "I mean, everything else on the agenda was stuffy and boring and historical and *_educational*. _I mean, c'mon. If I wanted to go all the way to Osaka on my own, you think I'd choose to go to a bunch of museums and castles and parks and shrines and stuff? No way." 

"What else is there? They'd kick you out of the nightclubs in a heartbeat," said Fuuko placidly, poking at the last few remains of her lunch in her bento box. "And if sensei phones back any reports to Kage Houshi, you might as well stay in Osaka--- because she'll kill you when you get home." 

"At least the food's good," said Domon brightly. "So I hear." 

"The hot spring looks very interesting," said Yanagi, in her usual quiet voice. "I'm looking forward to going. Ahhh--- Mikagami, where are the seniors going this year?" 

Mikagami had distanced himself from the other Hokage, once the Tendoujigoku affair had been resolved. He rarely ate lunch with his former teammates, but Yanagi had spotted him and invited him to join them that day. He had readily agreed to join her; it was just a disagreeable minor point that she also happened to have the Monkeys around her at the same time. 

"Kyoto," he said briefly, and then, reminding himself that it had been Yanagi asking the question, he decided to elaborate. "I'm looking forward to it. It'll be a nice way to relax after the stress of exams." He punctuated it with as close an approximation of a warm smile that he could manage, given the circumstances. 

"Heh. I'll bet you don't get anything as cool as an _onsen_ to visit," said Recca, waving his chopsticks in the air. "Man, nothing like those hot springs---" 

"Segregated bathing," Fuuko sniffed, and both Recca and Domon seemed to droop momentarily with the news. 

"I don't see much relaxation happening at the hot spring as it is," replied Mikagami coolly. "Not with the entire junior class swarming around, anyways." 

"I swear, Mikagami, you're such a killjoy. You wouldn't know a good time if it came up behind you and bit you on the---" 

Whatever insult Recca had been about to deliver was cut short by the older boy abruptly gathering the remains of his lunch together and walking away. 

"I swear," grumbled the ninja. "I've never seen anyone work so hard to not have any friends." 

* * *

As Mikagami had predicted, the timing of the _shugaku-ryoko_ was excellent and consequently, the trip much more appreciated than it otherwise may have been. Exams had come, exams had gone, and the upper echelons of the student body were restless with spring fever. Field trips in the past had been day trips to local points of interest; nothing like this nine-day extravaganza. The fact that it was educational at the same time was only a minor grumbling point, and upon spotting the first case of ninja artifacts among the many he would encounter, Recca completely abandoned his previous complaints and began showing some genuine enthusiasm. When there wasn't any ninja stuff in sight, Yanagi's presence was enough to make anything fun. Spending time with Fuuko and Domon was an added bonus. 

The days passed with predictable speed, one colorful, busy day blurring into the next in an exciting swirl of sights, sounds, and memories. It wasn't until the junior class found themselves on a caravan of buses, sweeping them away from the bay and towards the mountains for their final two days at the hot springs, that the true pace of time was revealed. 

"It's a nice change from the congestion," remarked Domon, staring out the window at the increasing greenery as they traveled the mountain highway. 

"I wouldn't have thought you were so sensitive to nature," laughed Fuuko, amused at his observation. 

"Nahh. I'm just sensitive to traffic jams," replied Domon, grinning. 

The bus turned off the main road and through a pair of pillared gates, entering a private drive that snaked and turned. Recca had just gathered up enough courage to ask if there *did* happen to be kon'yoku, would they get in trouble for using it--- when the bus pulled to a stop, and sensei's voice came over the loudspeaker. 

"Line up outside. Leave your bags in the bus; the staff will take care of bringing them to your rooms. Best behavior!" 

"Haiiiiiiiiii..." 

The landlady, or okami, was standing on the steps at the door, waiting to greet them cordially to her hot spring. 

"We are honored to have you here; I wish for you to make yourselves comfortable for as long as you are our guests," said the smiling woman, dressed in a lovely green kimono which set off her glossy red hair to its utmost advantage. "The boys' rooms are down the left-hand wing; the girls' rooms are down the right-hand wing; and I believe your sensei has already distributed sleeping arrangements. If you need assistance in locating anything, please feel free to question a staff member, and they will be pleased to assist you. Dinner will be served in the main building in two hours, so you may want to orient yourselves with the grounds until then…" 

"She's so cute!" whispered Domon in an undertone, and Recca nodded his enthusiastic agreement, after making sure Yanagi's attention was firmly fixed elsewhere. 

"Fuuko, you could be cute, too, if you dressed up like that---" 

But Fuuko suddenly gripped his arm with an unexpected fierceness. "That's not just any okami-san," she breathed. "That's _Neon."_

Although there was no way the woman could have possibly heard the whisper, the landlady picked that moment to make direct eye contact with Domon, who was the most difficult member of the Hokage to miss. Recognition flashed across her features, and her complexion appeared to pale a shade or two. Her usual introductory speech, so smooth-flowing, halted a brief second, before she resumed the thread of her words. 

There was no mistaking it.


	2. 2

**The Onsen Encounter**

**Ch. 2**

**by Bottou-chan**

* * *

Author's Note: A few terms... "onsen" is a hot spring; "okami-san" is a term for the landlady who runs it. Mixed bathing in Japan was common pre-WWII; however, in postwar Japan, most hot springs have segregated bathing. Kon'yoku is the term for mixed baths, an onnaburo designates the women's bath, and otokoburo is the men's bath. "Doroyu" refers to mud bath. "Geta" refer to the special sandals guests at a hot spring wear, and guests usually wear light summer kimonos called "yukata" which the hot spring provides, although in the winter time, they wear heavier robes called "tanzen". And if you didn't figure it out from chapter 1, "shugaku-ryoko"refers to the lengthy school trips that junior and senior high school students make to other cities for cultural exposure and a break from studies, seeing that the Japanese school year is so intensive.

* * *

"It's them," said Neon scowling darkly, looking much less benevolent than she had ten minutes ago, on the steps of the onsen. "What are they doing here?" 

"Do you think they know what we're up to?" inquired Raiha, his voice steady, but his green eyes flecked with worry. 

"Ahhh, what does it matter?" shrugged Joker, leaning against the wall with the utmost indifference. "Do you think they'll walk up to us and say, 'Hey, long time, no see! Any messages from the past, wink wink, nudge nudge?' They'll probably ignore us, and they'll be gone in two days. Don't make a big deal out of it, and they'll never know." 

Neon looked uncomfortable. "I don't like having them under this roof," she said flatly. "They have a habit of getting involved with things they shouldn't be involved in. What if they find out?" 

"That doesn't sound like my Neon-han," remarked Joker, and Neon, recognizing the intensity in his voice and the importance of the situation, didn't bother to debate his use of the possessive pronoun. "None of us have a history of blabbing; we should be perfectly fine." 

*** 

"Did you see that guy with the purple hair? He's soooooo handsome!" giggled one third-year girl. 

"I saw him, too, by the entrance to the doroyu. Do you think I'm his type? That's what I need--- a romance would make this trip perfect." 

"I wouldn't mind being in the kon'yoku with *him*," the first girl giggled, obviously surprised at her own daring. Her friend told her as much, and then added, 

"At least wear something cute to dinner. Maybe we'll see him. Does he work here, or do you think he's a guest?" 

Fuuko's hands trembled as she rummaged through her suitcase. She kept her purple head bowed, her blue eyes focused unseeingly on the garments in her hands, trying her best to be invisible enough to be spared being dragged into the conversation. There was only one person to whom they could be referring; she had caught a glimpse of him herself as they had filed off towards their rooms. Seeing Raiha had made her hands go numb and her knees grow unaccustomedly weak. Her heart was filled with conflicting emotions at seeing him again; he was the man who had trained her, who had saved her, who had tried to kill her… 

"This is no place for such a long face, Fuuko!" said Yanagi brightly at dinner. The meal was beautifully arranged; the hot food was hot, the cold food was cold, and it tasted every bit as good as it smelled. "You come to an onsen to relax and unwind!" 

"It's not just Neon. Raiha's here," said Fuuko glumly, helping herself to a riceball. 

Recca paused, his soup spoon halfway to his mouth. "Raiha too?" he asked, looking uncomfortable. Neon, he could handle. She was minus her madougu, anyways. Raiha was another proposition entirely. Each had been unshakably loyal to Kurei in their own way--- but Raiha had an extra layer of mystery to him that made him feel the need to be twice as much on his guard. 

"Stick close to us," advised Domon, smacking his fist into his palm suggestively. "If any of them try anything funny, we'll take care of them." 

"How?" asked Fuuko wryly. "I mean, the rooms are segregated and the springs are segregated. It would look pretty suspicious for all four of us to be constantly camped out in the dining room--- or for us to go trekking up and down the mountain all day." She glanced significantly at Yanagi. 

Recca misunderstood her glance. "You don't think they'll go after Him--- err, Yanagi again, do you?" he asked, his eyes wide, stumbling briefly out of long habit. "Fuuko, don't you dare leave her side, or I'll never forgive you---" 

Fuuko sighed, turning her attention back to the meal. Yanagi this, Yanagi that. Why would Raiha or Neon have any interest in Yanagi? Why didn't it occur to them that just because the Fuujin and the Raijin had both been destroyed, and that Kurei and Mori were both gone--- did that necessarily mean that all was resolved? Didn't it ever occur to them that Fuuko might one day be in a little need of rescuing, too? 


	3. 3

**The Onsen Encounter**

**Ch. 3**

**by Bottou-chan**

* * *

Fuuko politely declined to go with her roommates for an evening soak in the hot spring. Yanagi seemed to wish to contest the point; after all, Recca had told them to stick with each other. But Fuuko was choosing to ignore it, and Yanagi decided that a spring full of other girls would be protection enough. She had courteously asked if Fuuko was indeed fine with being alone at night--- and Fuuko had flashed her patented toothy smile and said in her most self-assured voice that she indeed would be perfectly fine. 

"At least turn the lights back on," suggested Yanagi uncomfortably. Fuuko shook her head, sliding one of the outside doors open to reveal a brilliantly speckled night sky overlooking a zen garden. 

"You can't see the stars in Osaka," she said. 

Yanagi frowned. "You can see them better from outside." Since when did Fuuko care about the stars? But after one last uncertain look, she picked up her towel and clattered down the hall after their classmates. 

Fuuko herself wasn't quite sure why she decided to stay in the room, or at least, that's what she tried to tell herself. It was a perfect night for a long, hot soak in the curative waters, and goodness knew she was tense enough to need such a soak. The secondary excuse that kept popping up in her mind was that she wanted to stand guard over the room, to make sure their possessions were safe; but even she knew it was a lie. 

Fuuko paced the dark room restlessly like a caged tiger, waiting for something, yet not quite sure what; unused to the self-imposed enclosure. 

"Fuuko," came a voice from the shadows behind her; the girl jumped slightly, but even to herself, it seemed like a false movement. 

"Raiha--- you--- startled me," she said, her voice sounding uncomfortably forced. 

"You were waiting for me," said Raiha, his tone even and neutral. He politely refrained from calling her a liar, but he may as well have. It would have been true, thought Fuuko glumly. 

Aloud, she tried to keep up the failing charade. "Silly. I just didn't feel like relaxation in the spring tonight. You can't get much relaxation with the junior class swarming around like that." She ran a nervous hand through her hair and tried to change the subject. "I didn't even hear you come in. You must be keeping your ninja skills in practice, h'm? But did you know this is the women's wing? You might, um, get in trouble if someone finds you here." 

"They'll be a while," replied Raiha quietly, giving her one of those funny, inscrutable smiles of his. 

Fuuko eyed him through the semidarkness. She admitted it. She had hoped he would show up. But for what purpose? Her mouth refused to form the words to ask all the questions that had piled up since the Tendoujigoku. She felt ridiculous for even *having* any questions in the first place; she had all the obvious answers already. And so she remained silent, feeling foolish for having put herself in this situation in the first place. 

"You were always so vibrant," remarked Raiha, picking his way easily across the rows of futons which were laid upon the floor. "Such a dark mood doesn't suit you. The Fuuko I know wouldn't stand around like a lost little girl. The Fuuko I know is blunt and straightforward, says what's on her mind, and uses punches for question marks." His tone was playful, but his eyes were not. She tensed as he came close to where she stood, but he continued past her to stand by the sliding wall which looked out over the onsen's zen garden. Perfectly raked gravel pooled around enormous boulders, like ocean waves lapping up against islands. 

Fuuko found herself crossing over to stand near him, to see what was so interesting outside. Raiha was right; she was never this meek. So why did she feel so empty? So hollow? So tired? 

"I never thought of you as an enemy," she said abruptly, hunting for the elusive shards of her usual personality. "Why'd you have to be so nice? Why couldn't you have been, like, say, Fujimaru? Or Mikoto? You could've done horrible, awful things, and I would have thought you were a horrible, awful person, and I wouldn't have wasted two thoughts on you. Why'd you have to be so nice?" 

"Why are you blaming me?" asked Raiha reasonably, not appearing to be ruffled by the suggestion that he should adopt the style of either Fujimaru or Mikoto. "The weakness was yours. All that training we went through, those days in the mountains. Was it wasted on you?" 

Fuuko bristled. "I accomplished a lot in three days. I got to the point where if I put my mind to it, I could beat you. Don't you remember? You rewarded me." 

"So why was it so hard to fight me seriously that last time?" 

Fuuko snorted. "I think you forgot which of us won the Raijin-Fuujin fight." 

Raiha didn't seem perturbed at all. "And I think you forgot which of us was conscious afterwards. Do you forget the strength that your friend Domon lent you? Do you think I couldn't have dispatched both of you with one stroke of my sword? But I didn't. The fate of the Fuujin-Raijin was fulfilled. And that was enough." 

Fuuko scowled. She didn't like conceding that any part of her victory over him was due to his efforts. His efforts in tirelessly training her for three days. His efforts in renewing the Fuujin's lost capabilities. His efforts in refraining from administering the coupe de grace even after his madougu was shattered, and their one-on-one had become a two-on-one. 

"You talked about the rivalry of the madougu. The rivalry of the Fuujin and Raijin. How all of our chance meetings came from one of them calling to the other. How much of it was Fuujin and Raijin… and how much of it was Fuuko and Raiha?" 

A glimmer of his playful self returned as he beamed, "I always thought you were stalking me!" 

"Baka!" Fuuko reached out to punch him; it was a habitual, reflexive movement. She was surprised when she felt her fist connect with his shoulder, as she had expected him to nimbly fade away with some ninja dodge technique. He didn't, and the realization that he just stood there and allowed her to hit him angered Fuuko. She stood with her arms folded ominously, a sour expression on her face. "But we're still meeting up, even after the Fuujin and Raijin are destroyed. And I don't know what it means." 

"It could be a genuine coincidence," suggested Raiha. "There are other things in the world that influence our lives, besides madougu. And just because you run into me, it doesn't have to mean you acknowledge my existence. You could have just ignored me, and left back to school, and nothing would have happened." 

"You're the one wandering around in the women's wing," grumbled Fuuko under her breath. 

Raiha gave her the goofy grin again. "And you were the one waiting for your prince." 

Fuuko's cheeks reddened at the reference, to yet another time he had appeared to save her from her own foolishness. 

"Baka," she grumbled again, hugging herself tightly so as not to touch him. In a louder voice, she added, "What kind of prince does that make you, anyways? If it was just the thing about Raijin and Fuujin, I could forgive that. I understand that. The way Raijin possessed you--- ugh, I know why you thought it was creepy. Why you didn't like to use it. But… but… there were things you said. Cold, hurtful things you said, when you were in your own mind, before the Raijin took over." 

"You said you wanted me to do cruel, hateful things so you could dismiss me as just another opponent," replied Raiha, his gaze fixed on the zen garden. "That wasn't enough for you?" 

"A few minutes' of coldness doesn't counteract weeks and weeks of kindness," said Fuuko, perturbed. "What you said, and what you did--- two completely different things. That's what's been driving me crazy. 'I will kill anyone Kurei wants revenge against, whether it's Mori Kouran or you'. Please. I don't think you would give Mori Kouran so many chances when you went up against him. That talk about death, and killing--- I mean, putting me on the same level as Mori Kouran --- and you saved my life so many times--- you were always so cheerful and silly--- except for that time with Soukakasai--- where you saved my life yet again--- I'd never seen you so serious--- it's disturbing--- aghhhh! You *say* that we're enemies, but you never acted like it until then, and then you stopped acting like it for whatever reason, and I just can't figure it out. I don't know anything. You're an irritating enemy to have, you know, especially now that Kurei's been dead for hundreds of years, I guess. With your *master* gone--" she spoke the word scornfully "—what does that make us now?" 

Raiha smiled, amused by her frustration. "It depends. What do you want us to be? You'll never forget the past. One harsh act can't completely erase a dozen acts of kindness, and a dozen acts of kindness can't completely erase one harsh act. If you wish to be friends, you'll never forget what I said when we fought. And if you wish to be enemies, you'll never forget the cauldron, the water-trap, or the training." 

Fuuko turned to him. "Why can't you just tell me you hate me, and that would be that?" 

"Because I don't," he answered simply. He reached forward and touched her cheek. "I---" 

But whatever he was about to say was abruptly cut off. Fuuko felt his fingers tense, and the next moment, he had vanished through the outside door, although she didn't quite see where he had gone. A split second later, she didn't see anything at all, as her eyes were blinded by the room lights suddenly being flicked on. She gave a wordless cry, shielding her face until her eyes could adjust. 

"Tired of the hot spring already?" she asked, peeping cautiously through her fingers to see if the light still hurt. She froze, though, upon recognizing the individual. "Mikagami?"


	4. 4

**The Onsen Encounter**

**Ch. 4**

**by Bottou-chan**

* * *

"He's going to go to her," remarked Neon, pouring a pot of tea. "I don't like it." 

"Letting him is better than stopping him," shrugged Joker, his cap slouched over his bangs. The two of them were sitting on the front steps of the onsen's main building, drinking tea and enjoying the seclusion. "I'll face Kurei-han in a raging anger. I'll face all four Shishiten at once. I'll escape from a black hole I suicidally helped make--- it'll take a while, but I'll do it ---but I have no interest in making Raiha stay put." 

"Tell me again how you escaped from the black hole." 

"What's there to say?" shrugged Joker. "I did it, though our friend Kadotsu was significantly inhibited from following my own course of action." A wickedly humorous smirk flickered across his features. 

Neon waited for more words to follow, but none were coming. Joker sipped his tea in silence. 

"This is where you ramble for a minute or two about how great you are," she prompted him gently. 

Joker shrugged. "What's so great about it? I missed out on wrapping up Mori Kouran, and I never got my rematch with the kid. And here I am, bored out of my mind. I don't know why I'm still sticking around with you guys. Might as well have just stayed there. Kaput. Sayonara forever. Would've been a nice end to my illustrious career, heh." 

"You're disturbing when you're not being an arrogant twit. It's unnerving." 

"This peaceful life of ours is grating on my nerves. I need to find a new center for my universe." 

"You mean, it's not yourself anymore?" asked Neon, hoping to prompt him into banter, but he refrained from taking the bait. 

"If it wasn't for our little ongoing project, I would've found some other vent for my talents." 

"It's not wise to talk about it, out in the open like this." 

"Everyone's out back, in the springs. Who's going to be out front at a time like this?" 

As though to belie his words, a vehicle swung into the parking lot in front of them, its headlights cutting brilliantly lit swaths in its path. In a crunch of gravel, the vehicle--- a taxi, Joker could see, as it pulled broadside to them--- pulled to a stop, and a figure leapt lightly from the backseat. 

"Well, what do you know. Hail, hail, the gang's all here," remarked Joker, climbing to his feet and drawing himself up to his full lanky height. "Just wasn't a reunion without you, Mikagami."


	5. 5

**The Onsen Encounter**

**Ch. 5**

**by Bottou-chan**

* * *

"Kyoto isn't that far from Osaka," said Mikagami coldly. "Yanagi called me. She thought I should know. This was the last day for the seniors' trip; I just took a different train." 

"You didn't tell us Mikagami was coming," said Domon, looking balefully at Yanagi. 

"Err… he didn't say he was," apologized Yanagi. "I'm sorry if I did the wrong thing! It was just a little, ah, suspicious, ah, that both Neon and Raiha were here." 

Fuuko, sitting grumpily off to one side, surveyed Yanagi skeptically. Since when did that girl have a suspicious bone in her body? 

"I'm here to help watch over Yanagi," said Mikagami pointedly. "Who knows what they could be up to? Without your weapons, you're all useless." 

"Yours got destroyed, too," said Recca irritably, holding Yanagi's hand. 

"My training wasn't limited to street brawls, like some people here." 

"Please, don't fight!" pleaded Yanagi, squeezing Recca's hand when it seemed that the one was about to go test his skills against those of the other. "Besides, it was just me being silly, I'm sure. Mikagami, please forgive me; I shouldn't have alarmed you. They haven't done anything suspicious at all." 

"On the contrary," replied Mikagami, turning his attention to Fuuko. "It seems like they're busily at work infiltrating our group." 

Recca, Domon, and Yanagi followed his gaze; Fuuko reddened beneath their collective stares. 

"Making such a big deal over nothing!" she blustered. 

"Flirting with the enemy *is* a cause for concern," he returned. "Don't think I didn't see you. And you looked awfully cozy together. For crying out loud, you were standing right in front of the doorway to outside. People looking in might not see you, but people behind you have no problems." 

"Flirting?" cried Domon in anguish. "Fuuko, he gave up on you! 'Take care of her', he told me!" 

"There was never anything between us to give up on!" exclaimed Fuuko, blushing even more fiercely. "Recca's still friends with Kuukai, and I mean, c'mon. We still keep in touch with Aoi. And we don't think anything at all of that. If we can keep in touch with killers and kidnappers, what's so suspicious about having a little conversation with someone as harmless as Raiha?" 

"Pffft. He's as harmless as I am. What do you know about his ulterior motives?" Mikagami demanded. 

"We were just--- talking---" said Fuuko. 

"About?" 

"About stuff." 

"What kind of stuff?" 

"Just stuff-stuff. Like, um, our fight. And his loyalty to Kurei. And what he was up to, now that Kurei was gone." 

Her four friends eyed her skeptically, and Fuuko had the uncomfortable sensation that she wouldn't be allowed out of their collective sight for a minute. How would she be able to get the closure she so desperately needed if she couldn't have a few minutes' privacy with Raiha? 

* * * 

"So, what did you guys talk about?" asked Joker, not bothering to turn his head as Raiha joined them on the front porch. 

"Talk about?" asked Raiha innocently. 

Neon poured him a cup of tea. "You and Fuuko. It was pretty obvious." 

"Oh. Just stuff, you know." 

"Get everything cleared up?" 

"Not really." 

"Didn't think so." Slight pause. "You didn't mention anything about *it* to her, did you?" 

"I thought you thought better of me, Neon," said Raiha, his voice tinged with mock sadness. "You know me better than that." 

Joker refilled his teacup. "People in love don't always make the smartest choices." His voice was a little gruffer than he'd meant. 

"True," acknowledged Raiha. "But that's the question, isn't it?" 


	6. 6

**The Onsen Encounter**

**Ch. 6**

**by Bottou-chan**

* * *

The next day, Fuuko had the uncomfortable feeling of having as much privacy as a fish in a glass tank. Yanagi--- Recca--- Domon--- Mikagami--- no matter where she turned, one of them was perpetually at her side, or looking in her direction, or walking towards her with feigned cheerfulness and surprise to rotate onto guard-Fuuko-duty and allow her previous protector some downtime. 

In the morning, it was actually rather pleasant to have the group worried for her. During both the Urabutosatsujin and Tendoujigoku affairs, Yanagi had been the princess in peril, and all efforts had been focused on protecting her. Fuuko had been just one of Yanagi's knights in shining armor. Now it was Fuuko who was being kept closely guarded. 

By the afternoon, however, the game wore thin. Were her skills held in such low esteem that she couldn't even walk to the bathroom alone, without a member of the Hokage thinking she might get jumped by a rabid ex-Jyushinshuu? Did they think she would abandon them to join their ranks and fight alongside Raiha? Did they view her as a helpless kitten who couldn't hold her own? Fuuko had been prodigious with her fists even before she knew what a Fuujin was. What made them think she was any less capable now? 

It wasn't until dinnertime once more that the truth finally dawned upon the purple-haired girl. They weren't trying to protect Fuuko from a predatory Raiha. Fuuko, indeed, could handle herself in a pinch. Rather, their fears were of a more vague sort. They were protecting themselves, the Hokage as a whole, by protecting the member that they perceived as being weakest. Yanagi was no longer of interest to their potential enemies; she had always been Mori Kouran's obsession, while Recca had been Kurei's. Neon had no unfinished business with anyone; Joker, for all intents and purposes, had been dead for all they knew ("Didn't Koganei say he got sucked into a black hole with whatsisface?" asked Recca, when Mikagami mentioned having noted his presence upon arrival), and the only person that Joker most certainly had interest in targeting was untouchably far away. That only left Raiha as a possible candidate for stirring up trouble, and he could have plausibly targeted either Domon or Fuuko. Domon, perhaps, as a rival for Fuuko's affections, but more logically, Fuuko herself, as her uncertain emotions made her easy prey. 

Fuuko was less than flattered, and began to resent their hovering protection. It chafed, their thinking that *she* was the weakest of their group. As if she had any secrets to spill! Their unfounded worries about possible ulterior motives were preventing her from solving her own very real personal problem. If she never figured out what was behind those masks of his, how was she supposed to leave him in the past where he belonged? How much of the smiling, bubbly, goofball Raiha was genuine? How much of it was an act? How much of the solemn, deathly-serious Raiha was genuine? How much of it was a pose? Fuuko had the uncomfortable feeling that perhaps both Raiha's happily coexisted, but his true self was much darker than he let on. Still, she reasoned, even people with darkness shadowing their hearts had their own dreams and loves and wishes. Look at Kurei, with his Kurenai. Now that Raiha's term of service with Kurei was at an end, now that the Fuujin and Raijin's destinies had been fulfilled, and now that Raiha had wiped away the black mark his cowardly ancestors had stamped upon his soul… what were his dreams? His desires? His ambitions? Where did Fuuko herself fit into all of this? And how the heck was she supposed to ask him, with Mikagami, Domon, Recca, and Yanagi taking shifts keeping her under close watch? 

It always felt so natural running into Raiha at odd, unexpected moments. Without the draw of the madougu to bring them together, when would she see him next? He hadn't ever really satisfactorily answered her question the previous night: how many of their encounters had been triggered by the chemistry between Raijin and Fuujin, and how many of their encounters had been triggered by the chemistry between Raiha and Fuuko? 

"Attention, class!" their teacher called, as dinner was wrapping up. "Okami-san has an announcement for you." 

"A diversion has been scheduled for your entertainment," Neon said pleasantly. "A wandering fortune teller came in for a night's lodging and offered their skills to our honored guests. A line will be forming over there, after dinner, for those who are interested." 

"Oh, a fortune teller!" said Yanagi, her face shining with enthusiasm. "I know just the question I want to ask!" She glanced shyly at Recca, and then quickly looked down at her empty bowl on the table in front of her. 

"Sounds like fun," said Recca. "I'm game for it." 

"I can find if Fuuko will ever be mine!" said Domon, beaming happily. "Surely, Fuuko would not go against the will of heaven!" 

"Just watch me," grinned Fuuko. "Mikagami, will you get your fortune told, too?" 

"It's silly nonsense," said Mikagami. There was a long pause, and Yanagi looked at him in disappointment. "But I might." 

Yanagi brightened. "Fuuko, you'll join us, right?" 

Fuuko's mind raced. If they were all kept in line, perhaps she could use the chance to sneak off by herself for the first time today. And if she was by herself, then perhaps it would give Raiha a chance to slip by and they could finish their conversation which had been unfortunately cut short. 

"I don't know," said Fuuko, with an exaggerated yawn. "I'm feeling kind of run down from such a busy day, and the line is looking awfully long." 

She didn't miss the look that flickered between her teammates. 

"Oh," said Yanagi, looking disappointed. "Well, if that's the case, I guess I'll give it a pass this time. I can always get my fortune told at the temple, you know. It's no big deal." 

"Oh, no, Yanagi!" exclaimed Fuuko. "Please, don't let me stop you. If you really want a question answered, I think it would be fun for you. Please go." 

Yanagi shook her head resolutely. "No, I'll be fine. Besides, I don't know how much these wandering fortune tellers charge. I don't have much money left from the trip, so I probably couldn't afford it." 

Fuuko's lips tightened into a thin line. "It wouldn't be any fun being the odd one out," she said, giving up gracefully. "So I think I'll get my fortune told, too."


	7. 7

**The Onsen Encounter**

**Ch. 7**

**by Bottou-chan**

* * *

The line, indeed, was long. It was primarily made of the class girls who nervously spent their wait phrasing and rephrasing important queries regarding love, school, and the future. The front of the line moved slowly, as each took their turn entering the room individually. Three or four minutes would pass before the door opened again, to allow them to exit. 

Fuuko had been adeptly maneuvered to fall in the middle of the group, after Yanagi and Domon, but before Recca and Mikagami. This, she assumed glumly, was their way of ensuring that she didn't escape their watchful gaze by finishing first and running away. 

How clever of them. 

"How'd it go?" Fuuko whispered as Yanagi emerged and Domon entered. 

Yanagi blushed, too embarrassed to speak, but flashed the victory sign to her friend. 

Domon's turn didn't last too long, but when he exited, leaving the door open for Fuuko, he looked ponderous, as though turning over a weighty riddle in his mind. 

"How'd it go?" whispered Fuuko. 

"I don't know yet," he replied vaguely. "I have to think about it for a while." 

Fuuko refrained from making any jokes; instead, she slipped inside, pulling the door tightly shut behind her. 

The room was small, dimly lit with candles. Incense curled in ghostly tendrils, floating up towards the ceiling and dissipating. The fortune teller sat at a low table, shuffling a pack of cards with long, quick fingers. Age and gender were impossible to determine; the fortune teller's figure was obscured in their robes, and their features were masked in shadows cast by the uncertain candles and an enormously floppy hat. 

"Sit down," came the casual invitation, accompanied by a slight gesture to indicate the pillow upon which Fuuko should sit. "Make yourself comfortable. You appear to have some weighty questions on your mind. Matters of great importance. You've been through a lot, so please, confide." 

The voice still wasn't helpful. Definitely young. But was it a quiet low-voiced woman or was it a man with exceptional gentleness? 

Fuuko automatically placed her offering-money in a small bowl at the fortune-teller's elbow; her eyes were drawn to his? her? hands, which were mechanically shuffling, dividing, shuffling, dividing, shuffling, dividing the pack of cards. Fluently, but absentmindedly nonetheless. It reminded her of her last encounter with a fortune teller, back at the beginning of the Tendoujigoku affair. She and Ganko had been playing in the park, three days prior to the true beginning of their adventure. That fortune teller had predicted "death" in her future, and had passed her a secret message. And then--- 

Understanding dawned upon Fuuko's face as comprehension clicked in her mind. The hands continued their mechanical shuffling, but she almost imagined a small, secret smile on the fortuneteller's shadowed face. 

"You're such a quiet one. Don't know where to begin?" 

Fuuko placed her fingertips lightly on the table, staring at them for a few moments as she collected her thoughts. Lifting her eyes, she proceeded in a deliberate tone. 

"I have a problem. There's a person in my life, and he means a lot to me. But I don't think I mean so much to him. He's… older than I am… and he's been through a lot of rough things. Worldly experiences, you know. He doesn't always act like a good person, though I think his core self is a very good person. He has his own share of personal demons, and he needs to come to grips with them. And that's okay. I understand that. I can accept that. But I'm confused, because sometimes, he seems to draw me close; other times, he pushes me far away." 

"You don't need a fortune teller to tell you he sounds pretty unstable. You're best to leave him to go his way."

"But that's just it. He's a very… constant person. Very loyal. Very dedicated. Very singleminded. It's just the circumstances have kept changing, and his allegiance is to other things besides me. Those obstacles, though, are now gone. I want to know--- what do the cards say is in store for me now?" 

The fortune-teller ignored the cards, which were still being idly shuffled from hand to hand. "Is it worth it to you to pursue this individual?" 

Fuuko felt her chest tighten. "Yes," she said in a low voice. 

"Do you have it in you to try and weather the storms that would inevitably come from any kind of connection with such an individual with such a turbulent past?" 

"Yes," said Fuuko, with more conviction. 

"And even after having survived whatever turbulence may have come, are you willing to run the risk of heartache in the end, if all does not go to your master plan?" 

The nervousness was now nearly unbearable; her knees felt drained of all energy, and Fuuko vaguely wondered if she would be able to stand when dismissed. But her voice was strong. "I would have to be, wouldn't I?" 

"Well, then," said the fortune teller, as though the problem was solved. "Live your life. Bide your time. I see, from the quality of your words and the intensity of your aura, that you are also a person of much intrigue and attractiveness. Hearts surround you for the taking. Chances are, you have not left your special someone unaffected yourself. Carry yourself with dignity, with pride, with energy. A chance encounter will be yours. Seize the moment. Take advantage of it. You may go." 

The reading was concluded with remarkable abruptness, and Fuuko wondered if she had offended her companion. She stood up, bowed awkwardly, and hurried from the room without daring to ask for any further elaboration.


	8. 8

**The Onsen Encounter**

**Ch. 8**

**by Bottou-chan**

* * *

"I've never seen a fortune-teller with katana calluses," grumbled Mikagami under his breath, as the bus bumped its way down the mountain to the train station early the next morning. Although not an official member of the class trip, he had managed to impose on the teacher to join them on the ride home, and was now seated next to Fuuko. 

"You're such a skeptic, Mikagami," she replied, in a wonderful good mood since the previous evening's experience. "You took a class trip to Kyoto, and all you can think about is calluses on a random stranger's hand." 

"Not just a random stranger, and you know it," said Mikagami, gazing steadily at her. 

Fuuko had the grace to blush, but primly turned away to avoid prolonging the conversation. 

Mikagami, it seemed, was the only one who had been able to penetrate the disguise. The calluses on the hands and the powerful ki emanating from the fortune-teller had been dead giveaways for one who was trained to note such details. However, after a series of threats, pleas, and wheedlings, he had promised to keep her secret, as long as she promised to report anything suspicious that cropped up in the future. This, Fuuko had willingly sworn. 

Conversation drifted away from the fortune telling at the onsen and broadened to fondly rehash the happenings of the entire _shugaku-ryoko._ Only half of Fuuko's mind was occupied with contributing to the conversation, however. The other half was busily speculating in what form Raiha would appear to her next, and how he would make himself known to her. 

* * * 

"Fortune telling, hmph. I swear, you should have let me do it. I would've made a really good one." 

"You would have sent half the girls away in tears with some cruel prediction, Joker," replied Raiha placidly.

"Who wants to make a girl cry?" asked Joker petulantly. "I'm more chivalrous than that, c'mon. Besides, it would be much more interesting to see what havoc I could've wreaked with the guys' minds." 

"You've made my point," said Raiha. 

The three of them were sitting on the front steps of the onsen once more. The bus caravan, with its five very dangerous passengers and their schoolmates, had departed a good twenty minutes ago, and early-morning peace had returned to the mountains. 

"You have to admit. You were closer to an advice columnist than a fortuneteller. Y'know, you're supposed to do more with those cards than just shuffle them. Deal them. Flip them over at random. Rearrange them. Make stuff up. Sound mystic. Spooky. Magic. I don't think you gave them a show that was their money's worth." 

"You're a harsh critic, Joker." 

Neon delicately sipped her tea. "So how much of that did you mean?" 

"I meant all of it," shrugged Raiha, refreshing his cup. "But we'll see what happens. I didn't want to make any promises I couldn't keep." 

"You know how she'll interpret it, though." 

"Yes." He waited a moment and added, "And I'll give her the chance encounter I promised. I can do that much for her. We'll just have to see where the heartache comes in. She's so young. I don't think she knows much about that sort of thing. I just wish it wasn't me." 

"But you care for her." 

"Undoubtedly. But the question remains--- do I care for her like that? And if I do, am I someone she has genuine feelings for? Or am I just an obsession *because* I keep floating in and out of her life?" 

Joker broke into the conversation. "Sounds like you're more afraid of getting hurt than she is," he remarked, with a sideways glance. "Live your life, and seize the moments, and be happy for what you get. It may very well be more than other people can ever hope for their entire lives." He stood up abruptly. "Maa, maa! Such a weighty conversation for so early in the morning. You two can stay out here for as long as you like and philosophize to your hearts' content, but I've got some important stuff to do. You know where to find me." 

His two partners watched him retreat into the depths of the main building, before gathering up the tea things and preparing to follow. 

"It's tough for him to talk seriously about feelings, isn't it?" observed Neon, carefully arranging the items on the little wicker tray. 

"You only just now noticed?" asked Raiha, smiling wryly. "He's much better about it than before, though. Remind me to tell you a story sometime."

"OK." Neon straightened up, carrying the tray inside. Raiha turned to follow her, but paused on the threshold, looking at the private gravel road that snaked down the mountain towards the highway. His green eyes gazed steadily for a few moments, as though still seeing the long-departed line of buses full of students. Then he turned and disappeared inside, closing the door behind him. 

**The End**


End file.
